Dance Corps ready to entertain

lattsburgh State Dance Corps is hosting its spring recital, “Dance Corps Goes Viral” April 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. at the Giltz Auditorium in Hawkins Hall.

Public Relations Chair Amy Sheldon said that this show is the biggest event of the semester for them.

This will be Dance Corps’ ninth annual spring recital and will have musical theatre, tap dances, jazz dances and contemporary performances. Also performing at the event are African Unity, Minor Adjustments and Alpha Phi Alpha.

Before choreographing for the event begins, there are tryouts to see who wants to become a choreographer for that particular show. The group then holds tryouts to see who is going to be in that specific dance routine taught by that choreographer.

“The entire event is student run and choreographed,” Sheldon said. “We come up with our own dances and bring our own style as well.”

Dance Corps Treasurer Cassidy Pulver said events like this one help with new membership and promote the group.

“I think people are more likely to come up to you after the show and say, ‘I want to do this next year,’” Pulver said. “We see a lot of people that maybe didn’t try out their freshman year and come to our show and see what we do.”

President Meghan Weeden said the range of experience on the team is pretty wide.

“We have girls that never danced at all, girls that were cheerleaders girls that have danced all of their lives,” Weeden said. “I used to ice-skate before I joined Dance Corps. I think we have a good balance of members.”

Sheldon said she has been asked about Dance Corps while giving tours to prospective students.

“I’ve given tours to students that actually ended up on the team,” she said. “I feel like people want to continue their hobbies in college. Dancing is a really hard thing to give up.”

A lot of the members have been dancing since they were young, so when they come to college and there’s no dance team, they feel like something is missing.

Dance Corps Secretary Sarah Wagner said the group tries to make all of their dances on the same level, so if members don’t have a large amount of experience they can still do it.

“We try to play to people’s strengths, so if you’re really good at something, we’re going to try to highlight it,” she said.

Sheldon said the show has gradually become more family-orientated over years.

“We have changed our show in a way where community members can come and not have to worry about profanity, language or any of that stuff,” Sheldon said. “From our freshman year to now, there has been a lot of changes to the show, and it has continued to move in a positive direction.”

Wagner said the group put in a lot of time and effort to try to get the whole campus to go to the show and thinks this year’s show will be the best one so far.

Sheldon said to keep an eye on the group’s Facebook page as they will have a special surprise for the campus community next week.

Tickets are $5 and on sale through tickets.plattsburgh.edu or at ACC desk. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.